The focus is shifting from the entrance test scores to a holistic assessment of the profiles of Indian and Asian students aspiring to pursue higher education in the US and Canada, officials said Saturday.
View full post on Education Stories
Tag Archives: Canada
Schools in Ontario, Atlantic provinces close due to snowstorm
Vittorio Hernandez – AHN News News Writer
London, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – Schools in Ontario were closed again Wednesday following the snowstorm that battered the province. The affected schools are in London, Middlesex and Elgin counties as well as the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College.
Some of these areas got about a meter (39.4 inches) of snowfall, forcing residents to stay away from school and offices. The amount of snowfall in London the past two days is the equivalent of snowfall from December to March.
London Mayor Jose Fontana, however, said the situation does not warrant the declaration of a state of emergency in the city even if the cold weather conditions caused the paralysis of land transportation in parts of London.
In Eastern Canada, aside from snow, there were high winds and rains which caused not only the shuttering of schools but also inundation and a power outage on Monday.
Aside from partially flooded streets, Halifax and parts of Nova Scotia have collapsed power poles and lines. The power outage affected 30,000 customers in Nova Scotia and 2,500 in New Brunswick.
Water transport between Caribou in Nova Scotia and Wood Islands in Prince Edward Islands were cancelled and ferry schedules between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador were disrupted.
Environment Canada forecast that the extreme cold weather alert will be lifted Thursday morning. The weather agency said it expects temperature of minus 4 degrees Celsius (24.8 Fahrenheit).
Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
View full post on Education Stories
Government Says Most People Getting Enough Vitamin D, Calcium
David Goodhue – AHN News Reporter
Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Most Americans and Canadians are getting enough vitamin D and calcium in their daily diets, according to new federal guidelines.
The Institute of Medicine said that most people up to the age of 70 need no more than 600 international units of vitamin D per day to maintain health. People 71 years old and older may need as much as 800 IUs.
For most children ages 1 through 3, 700 milligrams of calcium a day meets their needs for bone health, and 1,000 milligrams a day is appropriate for most children ages 4 through 8. Adolescents ages 9 through 19 need no more than 1,300 milligrams daily.
For most adults ages 19 through 50 and for men until the age of 71, 1,000 milligrams covers their daily calcium needs, according to the guidelines.
Women starting at age 51 and both men and women age 71 and older need no more than 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day.
As for vitamin D, 600 international units per day meet the needs of almost all adults in Canada and the United States. People 71 and older may need as much as 800 IUs a day because of potential physical and behavioral changes brought on by age, according to the guidelines.
According to the Institute of Medicine, greater amounts of food fortification and the rising rates of supplements have increased the chances that people are getting too much vitamin D and calcium. Too much calcium raises the risk of kidney stones, and too much vitamin D may cause heart and kidney damage.
Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
View full post on All Stories
Ontario Teachers Sell Stake In Maple Leaf
AHN News Staff
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan announced Wednesday it sold all its stake in Maple Leaf Foods Incorporated. The shares were sold at a 17 percent discount.
BMO Capital Markets and TD Securities, underwriters of the deal, bought 34.5 million common shares of Maple Leaf at $10.50 per common shares. The transaction grossed $362.4 million. The sold share represent 25.2 percent stake in Maple Leaf.
The underwriters originally said they would purchase only 15 percent of the teachers’ share in Maple Leaf, but eventually bought all the stocks of OTPP.
Before the announcement of the sale, Maple Leaf shares traded at $12.70. The stock sold only an average daily trading volume of 135,508 shares the past six months.
The sell-off ends a long relationship between the meat processor and teachers. Relationship between the two groups soured in summer because the OTPP was not happy with Maple Leaf’s attempt to boost stock price and the teachers were against a shareholders right plan adopted by Maple Leaf in June.
The teachers were also opposed to plans to spend $1.3 billion restructuring and modernizing the food firm’s processing plants to hike the volume of ready-made products, while cutting Maple Leaf’s traditional pork and poultry operations.
Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
View full post on Education Stories
Manitoba Plans To Hike Truancy Age To 18
AHN News Staff
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (AHN) – Manitoba Education Minister Nancy Allan announced Thursday the province will push for a new law that would increase the truancy age to 18. That means young residents would be required to acquire an education or training until they reach 18.
Allan said the change was necessary because of global educational and work benchmarks going higher and that a high school diploma is often not sufficient to acquire a good job or carve a successful career.
Allan said in a statement, “Success in the modern economy will be dependent on students having every opportunity to pursue post-secondary education, training and apprenticeships. Those opportunities are lost when a young person does not have a high-school diploma or equivalent. Raising the compulsory education age to 18 will help ensure kids stay in school and are well prepared for life beyond the classroom.”
The current law in Manitoba requires students to remain in school until they reach 16. While the present truancy age has yielded an improvement in high school graduation rate to 80.9 percent in 2009 from 72.4 percent in 2001, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said the planned change should not be seen as dictating to the youth what they should do, but as helping them become successful in life.
Ontario and New Brunswick were the first Canadian provinces to adjust upward their truancy age to 18 in 2006. Alberta will discuss a similar measure this weekend. Nova Scotia is mulling a similar policy.
Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
View full post on Education Stories
Lanvin For H&M Collection Unveiled At NY Fashion Show
Anne Lu – Celebrity News Service Contributor
New York, NY, United States (CNS) – French fashion house Lanvin and Swedish clothing company H&M have held a haute couture runway together that showcased customized pieces from the Lanvin for H&M collection. Star guests Sofia Coppola, Andie MacDowell, Anna Sui, Emma Roberts, Leelee Sobieski and Alexander Wang graced The Pierre Hotel Thursday to celebrate the launch of the collection.
Famed models Asia Chow, Pixie Geldof, Dree Hemingway, Olga and Anna Della Russo made their way down the catwalk wearing the customized women’s wear pieces by Lanvin artistic director Alber Elbaz.
H&M creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch said, “It’s such a fantastic experience to see how creatively alber Elbaz uses his designs to form a couture experience for our exclusive fashion show in New York.”
“Working with this incredibly gifted designer has been like an ongoing fashion moment, and we’re thrilled to offer his masterpieces to our customers.”
The looks from the catwalk show, along with original signed sketches from Elbaz, are currently being auctioned on www.lanvinforhm.com, which will end on November 26th. All proceeds from the sales will be donated to UNICEF as part of H&M’s All for Children project.
The Lanvin for H&M collection is set to hit around 200 stores worldwide on November 20 in the U.S. and Canada, and on November 23 in the rest of the world.
Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
View full post on All Stories
Study: Kids Develop Dyslexia After Night of TV, Electronic Gadget Use
Lawrence Mijares – AHN News Contributor
Vancouver, Canada (AHN) – A preliminary study has found that children and teenagers who avidly watch television, text from their cellphones, play computer games or use their i-pods before bedtime develop dyslexic learning problems the following morning due to lack of sleep.
Some 40 young people aged 8 to 22 were treated at the JFK Medical Center Sleep Laboratory in Edison, NJ, where about 77 percent had trouble falling asleep; others had daytime sleepiness, disrupting their learning faculties in the daytime.
According to the study’s lead author, physician and researcher Peter Polos, “Children who engage in pre-bedtime use of technology have a high rate of daytime problems, which can include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, and learning difficulties,” in addition to other challenges they encounter during the night, such as insomnia and leg pain.
Polos continued that, “These children are engaging in stimulating activity when they should be in an environment to promote sleep.”
Results of the study were to be presented Monday at a meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Vancouver, British Columbia.
To remedy the situation, Polos gave the following pointers:
- Make the bedroom a technology-free zone, with no TVs, cellphones, iPods, computers or video games
- Turn off electronic devices at least half an hour before bed, and
- Don’t allow kids to read or do homework in front of a computer screen so they can avoid the temptation of checking in on Facebook or answering an instant message.
Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
View full post on All Stories
Obese Children Show Signs of Heart Disease Typically Seen in Older Adults
Ayinde O. Chase – AHN News Editor
Montreal, Canada (AHN) – New research finds that the blood vessels of obese children show signs of stiffness normally seen in much older adults with cardiovascular disease.
“We were surprised to find that these obese children already have stiff blood vessels,” says Dr. Kevin Harris from B.C. Children’s Hospital. “Aortic stiffness is an early indicator of cardiovascular disease in obese children.” He says it is as if the aging process has been accelerated in their aorta.
The aorta is the largest artery in the human body. It carries and distributes oxygen-rich blood to all the other arteries and normally acts as a buffer to the pumping action of the heart.
Typically a marked increase in aorta stiffness is linked to aging and is a strong predictor of future cardiac events and mortality in adults.
“The normal aorta has elastic qualities that buffer the flow of blood. When that elasticity is lost, aortic stiffness results – a sign of developing cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Harris told the meeting. “Aortic stiffness is associated with cardiovascular events and early death.”
The results of the study were presented at the 2010 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, co-hosted by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
To see actual changes to the performance of the heart and blood vessels in obese children is extremely alarming, says Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson.
“We know there is an association between unhealthy lifestyles and heart disease. Our kids are at risk,” she says. “Poor nutrition and inactivity are threatening their health and well-being. We must rethink the lifestyle standards we have accepted as a society to protect the future health of our kids.”
The rate of childhood obesity in North America has nearly tripled over the last 25 years and it continues to rise. The health risks to overweight and obese children include heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
View full post on All Stories
October Annually Most Dangerous Month for Teen Drivers
Ayinde O. Chase – AHN News Editor
Bloomington, IL, United States (AHN) – According to insurance claims data, October remains the most dangerous month of the year for teen driver crashes. Reviewing claims data spanning the last seven years, the highest instance of injury or collision claims filed by 16- and 17-year-old drivers annually spikes nearly 15 percent in October, versus other months of the year.
State Farm evaluated its extensive claims database from 2003 – 2009, and in every year, October continues to register the most claims across the United States and portions of Canada.
Additionally, 70 percent of states show October as being among its top three months for teen accident claims.
Car crashes remain the number one killer of teens and fall is a time that many new drivers hit the roads returning to school, attend homecoming functions and resume other back-to-school busy schedules.
Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
View full post on Education Stories
How to Avail Grants Money to Keep Alive Your Business Plans?
The Canadian government is actively involved with the business communities in the country at all levels. Each year the government gives out huge amount of grants to small, medium, and large enterprises with a hope to strengthen local economies, so as to foster the economic development and thereby create employment opportunity for Canadian residents. All the businesses in the area are interested in availing the government of Canada grants and there is a section who eagerly wait for the grants money in an effort to finance their business ventures. Most wannabe businesspersons who want to set up their business search desperately for government of Canada grants to boost their venture while many among them need these grants money to expand or support an ailing business as well as bring their business plans alive.
When there is an opportunity to avail some grants money through the government of Canada grants then every business should make the most of it. Getting some additional funds for the business can spell good prospect. Of course this will require a lot of search and hard work and once you discover the ways to get them, you can proceed to start your business or go on with the planned expansion you have always wished for.
Majority of the people believe that getting government funding involves a three-step process:
1. Searching for programs which are available and their covering costs;
2. Determining the various criteria of eligibility; and
3. Putting forward the final proposal.
Now there are countless programs which are available and these are ever changing programs, for which one can never be sure whether they are overlooking the one particular program which could actually make all the difference. One can go for research but that would be time consuming and complex. More so it may be confusing too as the information which caters to them are more often described in legal terms which are difficult at times to understand. The best solution would be to locate a good website which has updated information and can work as a good guide toward availing some grants money through the government of Canada grants programs.
Finding out the eligibility criteria and submitting the proposal are definitely essential if one is hopeful about receiving the grants money they need. But before forwarding the final proposal one must ensure and check the probability of getting the grants. This can be done through determining the assessment criteria. This is the rating of the proposal by the officer who is in charge of the application for the grants. It is this person who actually decides whether the proposal put forward by a business is worthy of getting the funds or not. It includes parameters like the analysis of net economic benefit, statements pertaining to competitive impacts, analysis which pertains to the sustainability of the business proposal, and many other related parameters that play a key role in the final decision regarding the proposal.
Proposals toward availing some grants money through government sources like the government of Canada grants is assessed very strictly. And, if the proposal gets passed through the initial phases of scrutiny, there is no restricting factor that can prevent the applicant from availing the funds.